Object matching game apparatus



United States Patent 3,378,261 OBJECT MATCHING GAME APPARATUS Raymond L. Schriher, 16 Ferndale St., St. Paul, Minn. 55119 Filed Feb. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 530,111

2 Claims. (Cl. 273-130) This invention relates to a game apparatus and more particularly relates to a novel game board and playing piece combination for use therewith.

Few games have the sustained interest and fascination of simple matching games. Probably the matching of coins is as old as coinage itself. The shell and pea game, or some variant of it, where a pea or the like is placed under one of several shells or cups, the object being to guess which of the shells the pea is under, has been a standard gambling device for centuries. Even though the first game relies solely on the laws of simple chance and the second relies primarily on slight of hand, their popularity is universal.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a game apparatus which combines the fascination of simple matching games and the suspense of pea and shell type guessing games with an opportunity on the part of the players to ascertain among them the possible existence of any extrasensory perception. It is another object of this invention to provide a game apparatus for matching objects which is arranged both to increase suspense and to assure fair play. A still further object is to provide a simplified game apparatus including a marked game board combined with cups and objects to provide matching arrangements which greatly facilitate playing the game.

The accomplishment of the foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages, will become more apparent as the description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of a game board and playing pieces of the invention arranged to commence playe;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the game apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a set of the matching pieces of the game;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view, partly in cross section, of one of the concealing shell or cup pieces used to conceal the matching pieces;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the dividing board used in the playing of the game.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, there is illustrated in FIGURE 1 the top surface of a rectangular game board hinged in the middle as at 12. At each end of the board 10, the board is marked with a row of pad-like concealment markings 14, and an adjacent row of pad-like object placement markings 16, the number of pads in each row 14 and 16 being the same and the pads of adjacent placement and concealment rows being arranged in files. Intermediate its opposite ends the board is further provided with a central row of padlike object identifying markings 18, each of the identifying pads 18 being on a file corresponding with that of the diametrically opposite pads of the rows 14 and 16 at opposite ends of the board. These markings may be simple painted circles or of other suitable forms.

As further illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, one set of objects 20 is disposed on each row of placement pads 16 and on the intermediate row of object identifying pads 18. Disposed at each end of the board are a set of cups or shells 22 which serve as concealing pieces to be used in a manner to be subsequently described. A barrier panel 24 to separate the playing areas of the board is also provided.

In FIGURE 3 a set of the objects 20 is illustrated, the number of different objects in the set being equal to the number of pads in any one of the rows of pads on the game board 10. The objects may be diiierent in shape, as illustrated, or they may be of the same shape and simply dilferent in color. Three sets of objects are provided, one for each of the placement rows 16 and one for the identifying row 18.

As shown in FIGURE 4, each cup 22 is simply an upside down cup or shell under which an object 20 may be concealed.

In FIGURE 5 the dividing board or barrier panel 24 is shown in some detail, the dividing board comprising a base 26 having an upwardly opening slot 28 therein in which the separating board 50 is mounted. As noted in FIGURE 1, the dividing board 24 may be placed on the board to conceal the rows of pads 14 and 16 at each end of the board from one another so that the player at one end of the board cannot observe the movements of the player at the other end of the board.

To play the game, which is most suited for two players, one set of objects 20 is placed on each of the pads of placement rows 16 at opposite ends of the board and on the pads of the intermediate object identifying row 18 intermediate the ends of the board. Then, the barrier panel 24 is placed on the game board 10 so that the movements of the players at opposite ends of the board cannot be observed by one another. Then, each of the objects on the pads of rows 16 are moved onto the pads forming the concealment rows 14 at each end of the board in any arrangement in which the player at each end of the board desires to place the objects. The cups 22 are placed over each set of objects on each row 14 so that they are concealed. Then, the barrier board 24 is removed from the game board 10.

Upon removal of the barrier board the game board is provided with cups 22 overlying each of the pads of the rows 14 and concealing an object 20 thereunder. Each of the rows 16 is empty and the intermediate row 18 is provided with a set of the same objects used by the players. Then, by prearrangement, as by shake of the dice, flip of a coin, or other random selection, one of the players moves the objects from the row 18 onto the placement pads of row 16 of the opposing player in whatever arrangement the first player believes his opponent has placed the objects under his cups or shells 22. Then, the opposing player removes his cups 22 and uncovers his set of objects 20 on the pads of row 14. Then, the number of objects correctly matched by the first player is counted. Now the opposing player moves the set of objects 20 on his row 16 down to the pads of the row 16 of the first player in whatever arrangement he believes the first player to have arranged his objects under his cups 22. The first player then removes his cups to expose the objects on his row 14 and again the number of objects matched by the opposing player are counted. The game can continue until some predetermined game score is reached, whereupon the winner is determined. For example, the game might be decided by a player reaching 20 points, each object matching being considered one point.

In an alternative form, each of the objects may be of different value, as for example, coins, and the number of objects matched and the value thereof can either or both be recorded with the winner of the game being the one who first reaches some certain arbitrary numerical value or some combination of number of objects matched and numerical value.

The game combines innate simplicity with a fairly sophisticated form so that fair play is virtually assured, while at the same time the suspense aspect of the game is increased by the number of manipulative movements required. Obviously, because of the control of selection of the same kind and number of objects by each of the players at opposite ends of the board, the game provides not only an opportunity to indulge in a combination of forms of two of the most popular forms of games of chance, but further enables an effective exercise in the possible existence of extrasensory perception and its degree in either or both of the players.

I claim:

1. A game apparatus comprising a game board having adjacent rows of object receiving markings at opposite ends thereof and a central row of object receiving markings intermediate said opposite ends, the number of markings in each row being the same, said apparatus further including cups adapted to cover and conceal objects on one row of markings at each end of said board, and three identical sets of different objects adapted for placement on three of said rows of markings, the individual objects of each set being different and the number of objects in each set being the same as the number of markings in one of said rows whereby two sets of said dlfierent objects may be concealed on a row of liarkings at each end of the board under said cups while the third set of said objects may be moved onto one of the vacated rows of markings adjacent said cups in anticipated correspondence with the objects concealed under the cups of said adjacent row.

2. The game apparatus of claim 1 including a barrier panel to conceal the adjacent rows of markings at each end of said game board from the players of the game at the opposite ends thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 230,000 7/1880 Greey 273130 1,024,704 4/1912 Snyder 273l30 3,126,205 3/1964 Jordan 273130 3,347,550 10/1967 Carboni 273l30 20 DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING A GAME BOARD HAVING ADJACENT ROWS OF OBJECT RECEIVING MARKINGS AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF AND A CENTRAL ROW OF OBJECT RECEIVING MARKINGS INTERMEDIATE SAID OPPOSITE ENDS, THE NUMBER OF MARKINGS IN EACH ROW BEING THE SAME, SAID APPARATUS FURTHER INCLUDING CUPS ADAPTED TO COVER AND CONCEAL OBJECTS ON ONE ROW OF MARKINGS AT EACH END OF SAID BOARD, AND THREE IDENTICAL SETS OF DIFFERENT OBJECTS ADAPTED FOR PLACEMENT ON THREE OF SAID ROWS OF MARKINGS, THE INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS OF EACH SET BEING DIFFERENT AND THE NUMBER OF OBJECTS IN EACH SET BEING THE SAME AS THE NUMBER OF MARKINGS IN ONE OF SAID ROWS WHEREBY TWO SETS OF SAID DIFFERENT OBJECTS MAY BE CONCEALED ON A ROW OF MARKINGS AT EACH END OF THE BOARD UNDER SAID CUPS WHILE THE THIRD SET OF SAID OBJECTS MAY BE MOVED ONTO ONE OF THE VACATED ROWS OF MARKINGS ADJACENT SAID CUPS IN ANTICIPATED CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE OBJECTS CONCEALED UNDER THE CUPS OF SAID ADJACENT ROW. 